If you have an accident that results in an injury, you may need to be prepared to remove blood stains from surfaces around your home. If allowed to sit, blood can easily cause unpleasant marks on a variety of surfaces, from furniture to carpets, clothing, and more. If you accidentally end up with a blood stain on a concrete surface, acting quickly is one of the best ways to ensure that all traces can be removed properly. Read on for a brief guide on how to accomplish this task.
Step 1 - Clean Up Any Fresh Blood
If you're able to target the affected area immediately after the accident, the first thing that you should do is clean up any extra blood that may be pooling on the ground. Use a clean cloth to dab at it, and avoid rubbing as this could spread the stain. Continue until you've eliminated all of the excess liquid from the ground. Wear gloves as you do this and be very careful that you don't spread the blood and make the stain worse. Gloves are also important for your own safety since blood from another person may be contaminated and capable of spreading disease.
Step 2 - Scrub Up Dried Areas
Use a brush with stiff bristles to scrub at the bloody patch. The goal is to get any dry particles on the concrete to loosen and come away. Continue to go over the spot for about 10 minutes or until the blood has chipped off completely.
Step 3 - Sweep Up the Remnants
If all or some dried blood has come up, use a broom and dustpan to sweep it up. This will generally work well if the spill is older and has had a chance to thoroughly dry over the concrete surface. However, it may be messy if the accident just occurred. Discard the waste in a safe and healthy manner, following any legal guidelines regarding hazardous waste disposal in your area.
Step 4 - Apply a Detergent Mixture
In a small bowl, mix one part liquid dish detergent with three parts water, and stir until the contents are fully combined. Pour a small amount of the solution onto the stained area, and then continue to scrub at it vigorously with the stiff bristled brush. Take note whether the stain begins to come up or whether you will need a stronger method. Clean up the liquid with a clean cloth or paper towels if you were successful.
Step 5 - Treat with Hydrogen Peroxide
If the stain still persists after you've completed all of the previous steps, pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the area. Allow it to sit for about 15 minutes to begin to break down the blood itself, and then scrub at it once again with the stiff bristled brush. Clean up the peroxide with another clean cloth or a paper towel. Re-examine the stain; if it is still there, treat it with another portion of hydrogen peroxide and scrub until it comes up.
Removing blood stains from concrete can prove to be a highly challenging task. Many people assume that dealing with blood on concrete will prove to be a relatively easy task. Concrete is hard, after all.
Yes, concrete is a hard substance – if you fall on it. The reality is that concrete is significantly porous. What this means is that blood literally can become somewhat absorbed into the concrete. When this occurs, removing it from concrete is difficult.
The easiest way to remove blood from concrete is to tend to the task immediately – when that is possible. If you can intervene with blood on the concrete immediately, you are in the best position to remove it thoroughly and safely.
Safety Issues When Getting Blood out of Concrete
There are two primary safety issues associated with cleaning blood off concrete. First, you potentially expose yourself to biohazardous materials any time you are involved in cleaning up the blood. Blood can contain different bacteria or viruses that potentially can cause serious illnesses and even death. The most commonplace of these pathogens are:
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- HIV
- MRSA
Second, when cleaning blood off the concrete, you likely will a potentially hazardous chemical. The type of chemical that proves most effective at getting blood out of concrete is discussed more fully in a moment.
The specific safety items you must use when working to get blood out of concrete include:
- Face mask
- Apron or smock
- Goggles
- Gloves
Chemical to Get Blood out of Concrete
You might immediately think that bleach would be the perfect choice when it comes to getting blood out of concrete. It is not. Bleach can be helpful in eliminating blood in a number of situations, but when it gets into concrete, it is not the product to be utilized.
Sodium peroxide is the chemical of choice needed to get blood out of concrete. Sodium peroxide comes in a powder form. While ideal for getting blood out of concrete, sodium peroxide is a dangerous chemical. Indeed, it is considered a toxic substance. Sodium peroxide can cause:
- Burning of the skin
- Damages of eyes
- Irritation of nose, throat, and lungs
Sodium peroxide technically is classified as a reactive chemical. It is an explosion hazard.
Steps to Getting Blood out of Concrete
Specific steps exist that are demonstrated effective at getting blood out of concrete.
- Put on all proper protective gear, as outlined previously in this article.
- Saturate blood-stained concrete with clean, clear, fresh, cold water.
- Cover the area stained by blood and saturated with water with a thin layer of sodium peroxide.
- Wet the layer of sodium peroxide with cold water. You can do this in one of two ways. First, you can use a spray bottle and carefully wet the sodium peroxide. Second, you can saturate a cloth bandage with water and place that on top of the sodium peroxide.
- Let the dampened sodium peroxide sit for between five to 10 minutes.
- Rinse the area thoroughly with fresh water. The need to thoroughly rinse cannot be understated. The failure to completely rinse the area can result in the chemical being left behind. If that happens, the chemical will keep etching into the concrete, resulting in damage to the surface.
- After the rinsing stage, scrub the surface of the concrete. Use a stiff bristle brush for this purpose. This should effectively eliminate what remains of the blood stain. You need to initiate the scrubbing process immediately after the application of sodium peroxide and the thorough rinse.
- When the scrubbing phase is completed, thoroughly rinse the area again.
- Saturate the area with vinegar. The application of vinegar serves to neutralize any remaining sodium peroxide and to protect the concrete.
- Finally, rinse the area thoroughly again with clean, fresh water.
- If there remains evidence of a blood stain on the concrete, you can repeat this process a second time.
Professional Assistance for Getting Blood out of Concrete
In the final analysis, getting blood out of concrete can prove to be a challenging task. The effort that needs to be expended in order to get blood out of concrete, coupled with the risk potentially posed by the chemical used in the process and bloodborne pathogens which may be an issue underscores the benefits to be derived from engaging the services of a blood cleanup specialist. This type of professional has the background and equipment necessary to safely and thoroughly get blood out of concrete as well to address other issues related to blood cleanup and contamination.
Author: Emily Kil
Emily Kil is co-owner of Eco Bear, a leading biohazard remediation company in Southern California. An experienced entrepreneur, Emily assisted in founding Eco Bear as a means of combining her business experience with her desire to provide assistance to people facing challenging circumstances. Emily regularly writes about her first-hand experiences providing services such as biohazard cleanup, suicide cleanup, crime scene cleanup, unattended death cleanup, infectious disease disinfection, and other types of difficult remediations in homes and businesses.